THERE has been criticism of a decision to reconsider an application for an 80-home affordable housing scheme at Broadmayne.

Parish councillors and many residents have opposed the development of the Broadmead site claiming it will overwhelm the village – adding at least 15 per cent to its population.

They again spoke against the plans citing traffic problems likely to arise, the risk of flooding, a lack of local facilities, the loss of good-quality agricultural land and what they claim is a lack of proven need for the homes on the site which, they say, busts just about every local planning policy.

But counter-arguments include the fact that more than 120 people applied for just one affordable home in the village when a two-bed property became available in January and that the chance to build affordable homes in Dorset villages are rare.

Councillors from every political group on Dorset Council questioned why they were being asked to look at the decision again – having previously said yes to the application in July and September last year.

Planning officers told them that a number of changes to planning policy since the September decision, including a lowering of the housing supply target figures and new rules over developments in Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, made a re-examination necessary.  They said that although progress had been made on legal agreements the final paperwork had not yet been signed off.

Cllr Louie O’Leary, Conservative; Cllr Nick Ireland, Lib Dem and Cllr Paul Kimber, Labour, all argued that nothing had materially changed and the decision should stand.

Wyke Regis councillor Kate Wheller, said she was cynical about why officers had brought the decision back to committee once again.

She said if the council continued to look again at planning decisions every time the Government made changes it would never get anything done.

The only councillor to speak against the scheme was Chickerell’s John Worth who questioned whether the council was being wrongly persuaded in favour of the scheme because it was for affordable housing, when, he claimed an open market development on the same site, was quite likely to be rejected.

He argued that with the lack of local facilities in Broadmayne the site would not be sustainable for families who needed affordable housing and that some might regret moving there once they discovered no medical facilities, only one small shop and a lack of public transport.

Cllr Wheller scoffed at his claims - pointing out that anyone likely to consider living there was an adult and quite capable of making their own decisions, despite what Cllr Worth might consider to be 'disadvantages.'

Agent for the developers, Ben Jones, argued that the site was sustainable and, already surrounded by housing on three sides, it would be illogical to argue that it was not suitable – also pointing to 5,000 on the Dorset Council housing needs register, a figure which had increased by 600 in recent months.

He argued that the new residents would strengthen the community as it had in Drimpton and Hazelbury Bryan where housing association, Abri, had recently provided new homes.

Mr Jones said that without such developments for many people it would be impossible to get on the housing ladder with West Dorset houses now averaging £345,000 and average wages just over £27,000 – a multiplier of thirteen times.

Abri director Sam Stone said there was a clear need for affordable homes locally and, with Homes England funding, the association would make them all ‘affordable’ and would work to help strengthen the community in Broadmayne once they were built.

The proposals include a mix of mainly two and three-bed homes and include plans for an outdoor recreation area, with limited parking, to the north of the site, part of which falls within the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

The housing site is an area of open farmland with housing on three side to the south of the A352 on the western edge of the village – the field closest to the village will be used for the housing scheme with the further field maintained as a natural open area.

Access to the housing site will be off Broadmead to the eastern side of the development field with a temporary road into the site for construction traffic through the northern field, part of which is within the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

The planning committee voted 7-0, with one abstention, on both the application for the housing site and for the recreational area.